Taiwan, located at the northernmost extent of Huxley’s Line, marks the furthest point along this biogeographic boundary where exchanges of flora and fauna occur. The genus Piper , a globally distributed and taxonomically complex group of both economic and evolutionary importance, has a convoluted taxonomic history in this transitional zone that requires comprehensive study. Here, we integrate morphological, molecular, and dist...

Purpose Cervical total disc replacement (TDR) is commonly performed to treat degenerative cervical spondylosis, but it often faces challenges such as implant wear and migration. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a novel 3D-printed TDR featuring a titanium endplate and a lattice-structured poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) design. The primary objective was to replicate the natural motion of the cervical disc while addressin...

Accurately predicting the prognosis of ischemic stroke patients after discharge is crucial for physicians to plan for long-term health care. Although previous studies have demonstrated that machine learning (ML) shows reasonably accurate stroke outcome predictions with limited datasets, to identify specific clinical features associated with prognosis changes after stroke that could aid physicians and patients in devising impro...